In Another Life: A Dragon Age Fanfiction
by MarianVakarian
Summary: A fanfiction following the Inquisitor in the two years between the defeat of Coryphaeus and throughout Tresspaser. The Inquisitor romanced Solas before his unexpected departure and finds herself struggling to deal with a broken heart and leading the largest army in Thedas. Despite their tense past she finds herself relying on her Commander in more ways than she thought possible.
1. Parties

The war was over and Thedas was at peace again. Well, at least no one was actively trying to kill each other...mostly. The Inquisition had won, she had won, and she had never felt more lost. Solas was gone, without explanation or hope of return. And she didn't have time to even try to find some peace because Josephine insisted on throwing these ridiculous parties.

"We can not ignore the advantage our victory has given us Inquisitor." She loved Josie but those little cakes she got especially for her were not enough anymore to ignore handsy nobles who thought her little more than a glorified serving girl. Or worse the members of the Inquisition who treated her as if she may break at any moment. Every minute of these things was an anxiety ridden nightmare.

And so the great Inquisitor found herself sitting on a bench in the rotunda, dressed in her best formal gown, staring at her achievements done in his hand and stubbornly refusing to enter the grand hall. Drunken laughter loud enough to be heard over the musicians made her cringe and lean deeper into the shadows. She sighed and put her head in her hands. She wished The Iron Bull were here instead of off on yet another mission. He had a way of making these events more bearable. And the nobles were always on better behavior when he was around. Or Vivian, her snide assessments of the Fereldan nobility were always a wonderful distraction. But she was off somewhere politely bullying the mages back into place.

"Some warrior I am…" she muttered miserably.

Her attention was drawn by the side door opening quietly. The last rays of mountain sun threw streamers across the rotunda floor before the door shut again just as quietly. She stayed still hoping not to draw the attention of some Duke who had gotten lost wandering the grounds. Instead it was Cullen who stepped into the open space, eyes focused on the door leading to the hall. Outfitted in one of his finest dress uniform he looked commanding, elegant, and more than a bit uncomfortable. His steps became more hesitant the closer he came to his destination, like some invisible thread was growing tighter the father he walked. He came to a complete stop before ever reaching the door. She couldn't help but grin.

"Something wrong commander?" She would have laughed at the startled little jump he gave as he turned but she sympathized with him too much to find it funny.

"Forgive me Inquisitor. I did not see you there." He cleared his throat and shuffled his feet but his eyes were steady on her as she rose from the bench and straightened her golden gown. He had a way of looking at her that made her feel beautiful but not uncomfortable. And she was ashamed to admit she had sought out those looks from him these last few weeks to help cool the burns Solas had left. The relationship between her and her commander had been tense for months. She knew how he felt and did not want to lead him anywhere she could not go, but she also relied on his advice more than anyone else and enjoyed his company a great deal. He was also one of the few these days who never looked at her with pity.

"It's alright Cullen. And please, at least tonight," she gestured toward the great hall, "do me the favor of using me name?"

He dipped his head and rubbed his neck, a familiar nervous tick, but laughed deep in his chest, "imagine the scandal!"

The corners of her mouth turned up playfully. "Small victories Commander, small victories." There were enough rummers in Orlais already for Varric to write three novels. What could one more hurt? Cullen returned her grin before half heartedly turning back to the door.

"I really hate these things…" he mumbled before turning back to her. "Do you think she will ever stop?"

"Josie?" The Inquisitor scoffed as she drew closer, "Not likely."

The Commander turned his head slightly as if listening to the voices of the hall. "There seems to be quite a lot of people in attendance tonight. I doubt I'll be missed…" He took a step away from the great wooden door. "I have a pile of reports that need my attention…" He took another step. But she was by his side before he could fully turn.

Twining their arms together she looked up at him, suddenly desperate to not face this night without him. "Oh no Commander, you've missed too many of these lovely affairs already." She tried to keep her voice light but the soft sympathy in his eyes as he looked down showed a little of her desperation had come though. With her arm in his she pulled him a bit closer. "Maybe it will be easier if we do it together?" The vulnerability she was showing made her angry but she didn't want to do this, any of this, alone.

With a nod he looked back toward the hall, "I suppose that Dowager would be less likely to pinch me if you were there." She laughed at his comment and he smiled down at her again placing a hand over hers on his arm. "Together then." His back straight and shoulders squared, a stance she associated with the battlefield, he led her into the great hall of Skyhold.


	2. An Unexpected Turn

One step into the noise of the great hall proved Cullen correct, Josie had outdone herself on the guest list. Bright skirts and rich robes fluttered from one end of the hall to the other. The room was a sea of elaborate masks and ridiculous hats. She used to enjoy walks through this hall, the crackle of the fireplace as Varric scratched out his next best seller, the chatter of people eating dinner at the long tables while someone yell at Sarah for her latest prank, the occasional booming of Bulls laugh. She had come to consider Skyhold her home. Suddenly all the clamour and strangers made her feel very, very lonely.

Cullen shifted pulling her from further gloomy thoughts. Her arm was still draped in his as he looked around the room sternly. "I should really let go," she thought, but found that much harder to do than expected. Instead she moved closer, letting his broad figure shield her from the crowd as she tried to relieve some of the tension building up in her shoulders. The last thing she needed now was a headache.

"Inquisitor! Commander!" Josephine emerged from the crowd with a girlish bounce and a royal swagger in equal measure. "I'm glad you finally joined us." Only a familiarity with the ambassador allowed her to catch the slight widening of dark eyes at the sight of them arm and arm. Or perhaps the stress was making her see things, or her conscience. Cullen didn't appear to notice. By his tense, thin-lipped survey of the room he was more focused on not hitting something than what Josie was saying. "There are many people in attendance tonight that wish to greet you Inquisitor. Commander...if you will excuse us." The hesitation in that dismissal was definitely not imagined and, despite Josephine Montilyet being one of her closest friends and advisors, it made her angry.

"I'm sure these very important people would be pleased to meet both the Inquisitor and the commander of her armies, yes?" She squared her shoulders and held tighter to Cullen's arm. "Lead on ambassador." Despite her cold tone Josie merely smiled and nodded making the Inquisitor feel a bit like a toddler throwing a tantrum. She sighed and looked at Cullen, fully expecting him to be angry with her for ruining his easy escape, but was surprised to find him looking rather more cheery before leading her further into the crowd.

The steady parade of "important" people was everything the Inquisitor had come to expect. Simpering smiles, sweaty handshakes, and dramatic fanfare. The amount of times she was asked to recount a dragon slaying never failed to shocked her. She had defeated the first dark spawn and an army of demons, but dragons were just more exciting. She did eventually relinquish her commanders arm but he stayed close through the evening, whether for her protection or his didn't matter. She was happy to have him there. Despite a few scandalized looks and one particularly rowdy mayor the guests were generally on good behavior and even Josie seemed to relax a little.

Eventually the Ambassador wandered off and all the people who were important enough to address the head of the Inquisition without her had been greeted. The Inquisitors thoughts turned to tommorows work and yet another early morning meeting. She opened her mouth to suggest now was as good a time as any to make an exit when a man in an especially ridiculous hat and a mask covered in enough gems and gold leaf to feed a small nation approached her.

"Inquisitor," he boomed importantly with a small nod of his head. "It is, of course, a pleasure to see you." His expression, somewhere between discovering an unexpected foul odor and having just been highly offended, looked anything but pleased. Based on his pompous manner she assumed this was someone she should know. Not wanting to fall from Josie's good graces during yet another ball she bowed slightly and offered her hand.

"Good evening. It is a pleasure to see you as well." Her tone was light but she kicked herself mentally for not taking the opportunity to leave when she had it. She'd done this dance too many times tonight already. One more and then she was finding her bed. She'd play the faint lady if she had to, no matter how much Dorian made fun of her tomorrow.

The man either didn't see her hesitation or didn't care. Most likely the later. He extended a velvet robed arm, barely touching his finger tips to hers. "Would you prefer to dance Inquisitor?"

Now that did give her pause. First, it had been common knowledge for just about as long as Josephine had been throwing these things that the Inquisitor didn't dance. She'd just found it easier to turn everyone down flat and eventually people had stopped asking. Second, although the topic was generally avoided, mostly due to some unfortunate outbursts on her part, everyone knew the story of her elf lover and his sudden departure.

"Ummm...no. No, thank you." She recovered herself enough to offer him a half hearted smile but she only got a frown in return.

"Of course." He sneered from behind his mask and withdrew his hand. "I only assumed our talks would be appropriate in a more...private setting." His dark eyes shot quickly behind her and she realized he was indicating Cullen.

It was her turn for a sneer but she tried to swallow her anger. Had she missed something in one of Josie's countless talks about who was who and what they wanted from her? Were there some important negotiations she had forgotten about! She tried to recall all the talks they'd had leading up to this particular party but the only thing she came up with was a dull ache at her temples. With an inward shrug she took the only course left. This...whoever he was...would just have to forgive her. "I'm so sorry, what are we to be discussing?"

His sneer only deeped however. "Perhaps we should find your Ambassador," his tone was thick with distaste, "I am ready to discuss your upcoming marriage to my son."


End file.
